The invention relates to an image recording system and, more particularly, to a video recording system for recording school bus stop-arm violations.
A typical school bus is equipped with a stop-arm that extends from the side of the school bus when the school bus is stopped and its door is opened to let people, usually children, on or off the bus. School buses can also be equipped with flashing lights on the front and rear of the bus that are activated when the school bus is stopped and its door is opened.
The stop-arm and flashers alert motorists that children are entering or exiting the school bus so that motorists can stop their vehicles to permit the children to cross the street if necessary. Motorists are also required to stop their vehicles by state motor vehicle laws. A serious hazard is created by motorists who disobey the stop-arm and flashers and continue traveling past the school bus as they endanger the safety of the children and violate the motor vehicle laws.
In an effort to record and monitor vehicles around school buses, a number of recording systems have been proposed. However, these prior recording systems face significant drawbacks in terms of the number of cameras they employ and the complexity of their installation and use which can drive up their costs and render them more difficult to install and use than is desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,953 discloses a recording system that includes a sensor positioned on a school bus to detect vehicles violating an extended stop-arm. A camera is positioned on the exterior of the school bus toward its rear facing forwardly. In this manner, the camera only takes pictures of oncoming vehicles when the sensor, which is mounted at the front end of the bus, detects the vehicle. A detection mechanism detects the extension of the stop arm on the school bus. A control unit is operable with the sensor and the detection mechanism and provides a control signal for activating the camera upon receipt of signals from the detection mechanism that the stop-arm is extended and the sensor to indicate the presence of a vehicle in the violation zone. The camera then takes still photographs of the violating vehicle while it is adjacent to the school bus.
The recording system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,420 employs video cameras mounted on either side of a passenger vehicle, such as a school bus, for recording passing traffic as it is adjacent to the school bus. The cameras face either rearwardly or forwardly relative to the school bus to record passing vehicles and to record license plate numbers, respectively. A switching system is used that is responsive to detectors or a switching signal to determine which of the video cameras is in communication with the video recorder so as to select which view of passing traffic is recorded and displayed on a video screen in the school bus. Operator control over switching can be provided to allow the bus driver to switch between an interior camera and the external driver""s side camera.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,200 teaches a system for providing enhanced viewing coverage about a vehicle using multiple cameras mounted to the exterior of the vehicle like the school bus video camera system of the ""420 patent. To this end, the cameras are directed toward the direction in which viewing is desired. Accordingly, both systems suffer from the need to have several cameras to capture images from different fields of view with the complexity and cost disadvantages this entails.
The ""200 patent also discloses use of a split CRT screen fed by corresponding cameras on either side of the vehicle as opposed to separate screens associated with each camera. In this manner, viewing of images from two different fields of view is done by looking at a single screen. Nevertheless, two cameras are still needed to produce these images.
Accordingly, there is a need for a simpler and/or less expensive image recording system that maximizes the viewing coverage provided about a vehicle without requiring multiple cameras. More particularly, a system that simultaneously records images from different views about a school bus in a simple and inexpensive manner is desirable.
In accordance with the present invention, an image recording system is provided for recording images from different fields of view about a vehicle that maximizes the viewing area provided by a camera of the system. To this end, the present image recording system allows for use of a single camera to capture images from desired areas about the vehicle over the field of view provided by the camera lens. More particularly, the system is especially adapted for use with a school bus for simultaneously recording images forwardly and rearwardly of the bus. The system includes a video camera mounted to the bus and a redirecting mechanism in its field of view so that images of both oncoming vehicles forward of the bus and upcoming vehicles rearward of the bus are simultaneously recorded by the camera. When the school bus is stopped with its stop-arm extended, the camera is effective to record vehicles that fail to stop as required by law.
In one form of the invention, an image recording system is provided for simultaneously recording images in different fields of view. The image recording system includes a camera and a lens of the camera for receiving images in a predetermined field of view. A redirecting mechanism is disposed in the predetermined field of view. The redirecting mechanism simultaneously redirects images in at least two fields of view that are not in the predetermined field of view through the lens. An image recording mechanism of the camera transfers the simultaneously received images through the lens onto an image recording medium. Accordingly, the system herein allows the camera to record images from a greater field of view than that provided by its lens.
Herein, when referring to manipulation of images, e.g. redirecting, receiving, transmitting, recording, displaying, etc., it will be understood that this can mean manipulating representations of the images such as provided by image forming light, electronic signals, or the like.
In a preferred form, the lens has a central axis, and the redirecting mechanism includes light reflective surfaces at predetermined angles relative to the central axis for reflecting images from at least two fields of view off the surfaces and through the lens.
In another form, the redirecting mechanism includes a prism having light reflected surfaces thereon. Use of the prism to capture images from different fields of view is significantly less expensive and less complicated to implement than prior systems using multiple cameras for capturing images from different areas about a vehicle.
In one form, the camera is a video camera and the image recording mechanism includes video tape on which the simultaneously received images are recorded. In this manner, the recorded images can be viewed at a later time, such as for determining the identity of vehicles that violate traffic laws.
The video camera can include a tape speed control for adjusting the speed at which the video tape records images thereon.
The camera can be a video camera including a mount for attaching the camera to a vehicle. A monitor can be provided inside the vehicle for simultaneously displaying the images from the two fields of view. This allows the vehicle operator to easily see the images in the different fields of view by viewing of the monitor.
The monitor can include a screen having a section of the screen for displaying images from one of the two fields of view and another section of the screen for displaying images from the other of the two fields of view. The camera lens can face out laterally from the vehicle. The redirecting mechanism redirects images from forwardly and rearwardly directed fields of view relative to the vehicle for recording oncoming and upcoming other vehicles.
In another form of the invention, a video camera system for vehicles, such as school buses is provided that simultaneously records images of cars from different predetermined areas about the bus. The video camera system includes a video camera mounted to the bus for recording images received from a first area about the bus. An imaging redirecting mechanism is provided in the first area that redirects images from predetermined second and third areas about the bus to the video camera so that images from the different predetermined areas are simultaneously recorded by the video camera. The present system is advantageous in that it increases the coverage of that provided by a standard video camera to allow it to record images from a greater area about the bus. In particular, the system herein minimizes camera costs while still being effective to record school bus stop-arm violators.
In one form, the second and third areas are distinct from each other.
In another form, the second and third areas are forwardly and rearwardly of the bus for simultaneously recording oncoming and approaching vehicles, respectively, relative to the bus. In this manner, stop-arm violators that do not stop when the arm is extended will be recorded by the video camera of the present system irrespective of from which direction they pass the arm.
Preferably, the video camera is mounted to the bus to face laterally out therefrom, and the redirecting mechanism includes light reflective surfaces at predetermined positions relative to the camera such that images from either side of the camera are reflected thereto.
In another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for recording images from different fields of view. The method includes positioning a camera so that it has a selected field of view, providing an image reflector in the predetermined field of view of the camera, redirecting images with the image reflector to the camera from at least two fields of view different from the camera selected field of view, and recording the redirected images from the at least two fields of view with the camera.